Category: Dashboard Symbols & Tell-tales

DashboardSymbols.com descriptions of the symbols and tell-tales used on automobile and light truck dashboards and instrument panels.

Chevrolet symbols page has now been re-ordered by color

Chevrolet logoChevrolet symbols page

Our Chevrolet symbols page has now been aligned by color. We’ve have now transformed a dozen pages, including our primary symbols page, to reflect the new color ordering.

The page features a number approaching 100 indicators, now ordered red through black, white or gray scale. This generally provides a “mostly serious” to “simply letting you know” range. We used the term “mostly serious” for red indicators because many legacy red symbols do not point to a problem with the vehicle.

in any case, the new ordering provides a cleaner, simpler option for drivers searching for information.

Cars are changing, and among those changes is the growing number of symbols and indicators that will invariably show up on your dashboard or instrument panel. Every year, new features are added to vehicles, each of which is accompanied by a new symbol or symbols and likely a new acronym.

At DashboardSymbols.com, our aim is to help you understand what is happening to your vehicle at the first sign of trouble – a new warning light illuminated on your instrument panel. Its all here on this website. Our first intention is to bring the latest technologies down to earth and understandable for everyday drivers.

The Chevrolet dashboard symbols page can be found here.

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Remember that only proper service and repair procedures will ensure the safe and reliable operation of your car. In addition, proper safety procedures and precautions, such as the use of safety goggles, the right tools and the equipment should be followed at all times to eliminate the possibility of personal injury or improper service which could damage the vehicle or compromise its safety.

These posts are for information sharing purposes only, and should not be used in lieu of an OEM service manual or factory authorized service procedure. We are not in the auto repair business nor do we publish automotive service manuals. Nothing we include on these pages and posts has been reviewed, approved or authorized by any vehicle manufacturer.

Technology is always changing and what is current and accurate today may be literally out-of-date and inaccurate tomorrow. And when it comes to the current state of flux in the auto industry, nothing is more true.

Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2024/10/chevrolet-symbols-page-has-now-been-re-ordered-by-color/

Three new entries added to our acronyms page

ESP BAS indicator midAcronyms page swells

Our update of the Mazda dashboard symbols page netted three new entries for our acronyms page. In effect, it shows that manufacturers need to stand apart from each other.

Cruise and traffic support warningCruising & Traffic Support (CTS) is a part of Mazda’s i-ACTIVESENSE system. The system is already a renaming of Advanced Driver Assist Systems, while CTS is a low end self drive system utilizing the technology making up the i-ACTIVESENSE system. We’ve added its fault waring symbol to the right.

Smart City Brake Support (SCBS) is nothing more than Automatic Braking and Mazda Radar Cruise Control (MRCC) is, of course, Radar Cruise Control with the addition of the company’s badge. Whether a manufacturer uses cameras or radar, all these systems are simply Adaptive Cruise Control.

Cars are changing, and among those changes is the growing number of symbols and indicators that will invariably show up on your dashboard or instrument panel. Every year, new features are added to vehicles, each of which is accompanied by a new symbol or symbols and likely a new acronym.

At DashboardSymbols.com, our aim is to help you understand what is happening to your vehicle at the first sign of trouble – a new warning light illuminated on your instrument panel. Its all here on this website. Our first intention is to bring the latest technologies down to earth and understandable for everyday drivers.

With these additions, the acronym page now hosts over 230 entries. The page is here.

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Remember that only proper service and repair procedures will ensure the safe and reliable operation of your car. In addition, proper safety procedures and precautions, such as the use of safety goggles, the right tools and the equipment should be followed at all times to eliminate the possibility of personal injury or improper service which could damage the vehicle or compromise its safety.

These posts are for information sharing purposes only, and should not be used in lieu of an OEM service manual or factory authorized service procedure. We are not in the auto repair business nor do we publish automotive service manuals. Nothing we include on these pages and posts has been reviewed, approved or authorized by any vehicle manufacturer.

Technology is always changing and what is current and accurate today may be literally out-of-date and inaccurate tomorrow. And when it comes to the current state of flux in the auto industry, nothing is more true.

Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2024/10/three-new-entries-added-to-our-acronyms-page/

Glaring mistake made in latest Mazda owner’s manuals

Mazda logoMazda owner’s manuals

In our opinion, there a glaring mistake in the 2025 Mazda owner’s manuals, that is repeated over and over and therefore likely intended.

The company has left images out of the list of warning symbols and indicators in favor of embedding them into the text.

The problem with this approach is that it clearly assumes the driver already knows what the indicator means and thus where and how to look for it if or when it appears on their instrument panel.

Drive modesFor instance, in the CX-90 manual, the EV Mode, Boost, and Charge Mode indicators are seen only in Chapter 5 (right). None of these can be considered part of normal operation and could easily be activated accidently. In this type of situation a driver needs an easy means of identifying a symbol, which has traditionally been done with a list of all symbols somewhere in the manual.

And there are several more. A few customer complaints will hopefully lead to a restoration of this process. The company’s customers deserve better.

Cars are changing, and among those changes is the growing number of symbols and indicators that will invariably show up on your dashboard or instrument panel. Every year, new features are added to vehicles, each of which is accompanied by a new symbol or symbols and likely a new acronym.

At DashboardSymbols.com, our aim is to help you understand what is happening to your vehicle at the first sign of trouble – a new warning light illuminated on your instrument panel. Its all here on this website. Our first intention is to bring the latest technologies down to earth and understandable for everyday drivers.

In the meantime, we have them in our Mazda list, which can be found here.

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Remember that only proper service and repair procedures will ensure the safe and reliable operation of your car. In addition, proper safety procedures and precautions, such as the use of safety goggles, the right tools and the equipment should be followed at all times to eliminate the possibility of personal injury or improper service which could damage the vehicle or compromise its safety.

These posts are for information sharing purposes only, and should not be used in lieu of an OEM service manual or factory authorized service procedure. We are not in the auto repair business nor do we publish automotive service manuals. Nothing we include on these pages and posts has been reviewed, approved or authorized by any vehicle manufacturer.

Technology is always changing and what is current and accurate today may be literally out-of-date and inaccurate tomorrow. And when it comes to the current state of flux in the auto industry, nothing is more true.

Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2024/10/glaring-mistake-made-in-latest-mazda-owners-manuals/

Mazda dashboard symbols update nets 17 new indicators

Mazda logoMazda dashboard symbols

A full review of 2024 and 2025 models results in the addition of 17 new indicators to the Mazda dashboard symbols page. This is due to the addition of a number of new technologies to Mazda models.

The most significant one is from what the company calls Cruising & Traffic Support (CTS), which results in one of only three truly new symbols shown on the page (we added a few new text symbols as well). It is a malfunction indicator, seen below right. CTS, part of Mazda‘s i-ACTIVSENSE system, is a technology that consists of a headway control and steering assist function for reducing driver fatigue during traffic jams when driving on expressways or highways.

Cruise and traffic support warningThe mention of “traffic jams” suggests it is meant to operate at slow speeds. However, further in Mazda’s description of the system, it states that “If a vehicle ahead is traveling at an extremely low speed, the system may not detect it correctly.” So its clear that this is meant to be “heavy traffic” not traffic jams.

It is, in effect, a low level self drive system that Mazda is playing catch up with.

Emergency lane keeping offCharge mode indicatorThe other two new indicators are a Charge Mode indicator (right), used in a new hybrid model, and another that indicates that lane keeping is turned off (far right). In the latter case, Mazda chose to adds an arrow in the direction of travel and a star to suggest a collision to an existing symbol. It also removes a lane line.

New technological additions will continue to swell the number of indicators drivers must cope with, and we’ll make another plea for manufacturers to at least draw from existing symbols rather than create new one unnecessarily.

Cars are changing, and among those changes is the growing number of symbols and indicators that will invariably show up on your dashboard or instrument panel. Every year, new features are added to vehicles, each of which is accompanied by a new symbol or symbols and likely a new acronym.

At DashboardSymbols.com, our aim is to help you understand what is happening to your vehicle at the first sign of trouble – a new warning light illuminated on your instrument panel. Its all here on this website. Our first intention is to bring the latest technologies down to earth and understandable for everyday drivers.

You can see the Mazda dashboard symbols page, now numbering over 80 total indicators, here.

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Remember that only proper service and repair procedures will ensure the safe and reliable operation of your car. In addition, proper safety procedures and precautions, such as the use of safety goggles, the right tools and the equipment should be followed at all times to eliminate the possibility of personal injury or improper service which could damage the vehicle or compromise its safety.

These posts are for information sharing purposes only, and should not be used in lieu of an OEM service manual or factory authorized service procedure. We are not in the auto repair business nor do we publish automotive service manuals. Nothing we include on these pages and posts has been reviewed, approved or authorized by any vehicle manufacturer.

Technology is always changing and what is current and accurate today may be literally out-of-date and inaccurate tomorrow. And when it comes to the current state of flux in the auto industry, nothing is more true.

Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2024/10/mazda-dashboard-symbols-update-nets-17-new-indicators/

Boost indicator symbol

Boost indicator

Boost indicatorThis is a Boost Indicator text symbol. It is found in Mazda hybrid vehicles, and the company offers no more explanation than that the “light turns on when the energy used for driving is at maximum output.” It is associated with the vehicle’s Charge Mode  and EV Mode indicators, so we surmise that the vehicle’s high-voltage battery is what is at its highest output.

  • Before continuing, is one of these truly your symbol?? If yes, read on below.
  • Otherwise, you can return to our main Text Symbols page and scan again!

Cars are changing, and among those changes is the growing number of symbols and indicators that will invariably show up on your dashboard or instrument panel. Every year, new features are added to vehicles, each of which is accompanied by a new symbol or symbols and likely a new acronym.

At DashboardSymbols.com, our aim is to help you understand what is happening to your vehicle at the first sign of trouble – a new warning light illuminated on your instrument panel. Its all here on this website. Our first intention is to bring the latest technologies down to earth and understandable for everyday drivers.

——————————————————————-

Remember that only proper service and repair procedures will ensure the safe and reliable operation of your car. In addition, proper safety procedures and precautions, such as the  use of safety goggles, the right tools and the equipment should be followed at all times to eliminate the possibility of personal injury or improper service which could damage the vehicle or compromise its safety.

These posts are for information sharing purposes only, and should not be used in lieu of an OEM service manual or factory authorized service procedure. We are not in the auto repair business nor do we publish automotive service manuals. Nothing we include on these pages and posts has been reviewed, approved or authorized by any vehicle manufacturer.

Technology is always changing and what is current and accurate today may be literally out-of-date and inaccurate tomorrow. And when it comes to the current state of flux in the auto industry, nothing is more true.

Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2024/10/boost-indicator-symbol/

Collision warning and intervention system indicators now number 29

Collision Warning and Intervention

Our Collision Warning and Intervention page now features 29 entries. We added another today from Mazda, who also uses a different name for the system: Smart Brake Support (SBS). That’s now nine different naming conventions for the same basic system.

Plus, our Collision Warning and Intervention page begins with a an item from In August of 2022, which points out that six leading organizations that are committed to consumer safety and education — AAA, Consumer Reports, J.D. Power, National Safety Council, PAVE, and SAE — came together to develop the standardized naming conventions for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) technologies.

So much for that…

Smart brake support offCollision WarningAuto braking off indicatorForward Collision Warning OffThe added symbol brings to four the number of symbols used for the system simply being turned off. Each has the word off in it, one is purely an acronym for the system, three use a car or two cars as well as stars to suggest a crash, while Mazda adds an arrow for the direction of travel (far right).

The addition is completely unnecessary in our opinion. One of the other two illustrations could easily have been used. And we’ll keep saying it: the more symbols that are created the more useless the entire warning light system becomes.

Cars are changing, and among those changes is the growing number of symbols and indicators that will invariably show up on your dashboard or instrument panel. Every year, new features are added to vehicles, each of which is accompanied by a new symbol or symbols and likely a new acronym.

At DashboardSymbols.com, our aim is to help you understand what is happening to your vehicle at the first sign of trouble – a new warning light illuminated on your instrument panel. Its all here on this website. Our first intention is to bring the latest technologies down to earth and understandable for everyday drivers.

Cars are changing, and among those changes is the growing number of symbols and indicators that will invariably show up on your dashboard or instrument panel. Every year, new features are added to vehicles, each of which is accompanied by a new symbol or symbols and likely a new acronym.

At DashboardSymbols.com, our aim is to help you understand what is happening to your vehicle at the first sign of trouble – a new warning light illuminated on your instrument panel. Its all here on this website. Our first intention is to bring the latest technologies down to earth and understandable for everyday drivers.

Our Collision Warning and Intervention page is here.

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Remember that only proper service and repair procedures will ensure the safe and reliable operation of your car. In addition, proper safety procedures and precautions, such as the use of safety goggles, the right tools and the equipment should be followed at all times to eliminate the possibility of personal injury or improper service which could damage the vehicle or compromise its safety.

These posts are for information sharing purposes only, and should not be used in lieu of an OEM service manual or factory authorized service procedure. We are not in the auto repair business nor do we publish automotive service manuals. Nothing we include on these pages and posts has been reviewed, approved or authorized by any vehicle manufacturer.

Technology is always changing and what is current and accurate today may be literally out-of-date and inaccurate tomorrow. And when it comes to the current state of flux in the auto industry, nothing is more true.

Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2024/10/collision-warning-and-intervention-system-indicators-now-number-29/

Lane keeping assist page swells to 33 entries

Lane keeping assist

Lane Keeping Assist page now hold 33 entries. This comes courtesy of Mazda, which calls its system Emergency Lane Keeping (ELK), growing the number of name options to 10, because of course, why use a single name for the same system!

Emergency lane keeping offLane Departure System OffSeveral manufacturers use the first image to the right to indicate that lane keeping is off. But why use an existing symbol when you can make your own! The new symbol from Mazda is to the far right, and adds an arrow in the direction of travel and a star to suggest a collision. It also removes a lane line.

None of these change are necessary in our opinion, and simply continues to swell the opportunities to confuse drivers.

The more symbols that are created the more useless the entire warning light system becomes.

Cars are changing, and among those changes is the growing number of symbols and indicators that will invariably show up on your dashboard or instrument panel. Every year, new features are added to vehicles, each of which is accompanied by a new symbol or symbols and likely a new acronym.

At DashboardSymbols.com, our aim is to help you understand what is happening to your vehicle at the first sign of trouble – a new warning light illuminated on your instrument panel. Its all here on this website. Our first intention is to bring the latest technologies down to earth and understandable for everyday drivers.

Our Lane Keeping Assist page is here.

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Remember that only proper service and repair procedures will ensure the safe and reliable operation of your car. In addition, proper safety procedures and precautions, such as the use of safety goggles, the right tools and the equipment should be followed at all times to eliminate the possibility of personal injury or improper service which could damage the vehicle or compromise its safety.

These posts are for information sharing purposes only, and should not be used in lieu of an OEM service manual or factory authorized service procedure. We are not in the auto repair business nor do we publish automotive service manuals. Nothing we include on these pages and posts has been reviewed, approved or authorized by any vehicle manufacturer.

Technology is always changing and what is current and accurate today may be literally out-of-date and inaccurate tomorrow. And when it comes to the current state of flux in the auto industry, nothing is more true.

Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2024/10/lane-keeping-assist-page-swells-to-33-entries/